My Retirement Repentance

Here’s how: I rolled over $4,700 from my old 401k to an IRA—and left it sitting in a money market account. And it’s been sitting there for three years.

Look, IRA rollovers are complicated and time-consuming, and then there was the fear factor (How do I know I’m doing the right thing?, etc.). But excuses aside, what really hurts is realizing the price I’ve paid.

If I’d simply invested in, say, Fidelity’s 2045 target date fund (FFFGX) three years ago, now I’d have about $5,500. And if I’d contributed just $100 per month to that fund, today I’d have around $11,000. But I didn’t.

The good news: I’m pushing aside guilt and inertia and taking control now!